There’s no denying that Chef Laura Ozyilmaz is tough, having fought her way back from elimination on “Top Chef’‘ to win “Last Chance Kitchen” to gain another shot at victory.

In the end, she may not have won the overall competition, making it as far as one of the last four competitors standing. But she won over many fans for her gumption and creative dishes. That she did all this while in the midst of opening Dalida in San Francisco, her restaurant with her chef-husband Sayat Ozilmaz, makes it doubly impressive.

Even before “Top Chef,” Dalida was a hard reservation to come by. It’s easy to see why, when you consider that this Eastern Mediterranean restaurant was opened by two chefs with impressive pedigrees.

The couple met while studying at the Culinary Institute of America in New York. Sayat, originally from Turkey, went on to work at Blue Hill at Stone Barns in New York, Le Bernardin in New York City, and the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena, while Laura worked at Cafe Boulud in New York City, Mugaritz in San Sebastian, Eleven Madison Park in New York City, Del Posto in New York City, and Saison in San Francisco.

A couple weeks ago, I finally had a chance to dine at this impressive restaurant, which earned a shout-out from the Michelin Guide a mere six months after opening. The restaurant is located in the Presidio, giving it a secluded feeling despite being in congested San Francisco. If you get there early, you can explore the Presidio Tunnel Tops, the national park area just steps away that boasts paved trails, grassy lawns with plenty of seating, a kids’ playground, and stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Housed inside a historic building, Dalida offers a number of different seating options: outdoor tables, the main dining room, bar, private dining room, and high-top tables. The latter is where we sat, which turned out to be the perfect spot, since those two tables are located right by the kitchen. From our vantage point, we could see both Lara and Sayat giving last-minute directions to the kitchen crew as service got underway at 5 p.m.

Settle in with a cocktail such as Dalida’s take on a Negroni ($20), which adds pear eau de vie and raspberry eau de vie to the classic mix of Campari and sweet vermouth. Along with a chic sphere of ice, the drink takes on an even more warm, wintery holiday taste. The Horse Warrior ($17) was toasty tasting, with vanilla, apple, and baking spice notes from bourbon, calvados, manzanilla, and pear, plus lactic acid for a creamy mouthfeel.

Any visit to Dalida must include “Breaking Bread” ($18). When our attentive server put down the platter, he positioned himself nearby, knowing full well that anyone who orders this also ends up requesting seconds of the “chubby pita,” which arrives in a blink, all warm, fluffy, airy, and irresistible. With it are hummus, muhammara, smoked yogurt, olives, and pickled cucumber, carrot, and cauliflower. If you can exercise willpower, do save some of the bread for your entrees, because it is the perfect vehicle for mopping up any sauces.

That includes the lusty tomato sauce flavored with Turkish chile pepper known as urfa that blankets the manti ($29), tiny yet mighty lamb dumplings that get a final dollop of garlic yogurt. They burst with juicy lamb flavor, nudging you to enjoy forkful after forkful.

The su borek ($24) is like a Turkish lasagna with yufka, thin, unleavened dough standing in for the usual pasta sheets that gets layered with spinach. A wedge of it gets pan-roasted in butter until the edges get crisp and caramelized, and gooey Comte cheese goes over the top. It’s somehow rich yet ethereal at the same time.

The entrees are definitely large enough to share. The pepper roasted black cod ($38) almost could be mistaken for meat, arriving with a deep crusty exterior. That gives way to a silky, moist flesh seasoned with warm Mediterranean spices, all atop a bed of tomato orzo, roasted fennel, and anchovies.

The lamb shoulder ($59) is cooked sous vide for 12 hours before finished in the tandoor. It is hearty and fall-apart tender, the exact type of dish you crave on a cold night. It comes in a pool of chickpeas and wheat porridge flavored with cumin, turmeric, and cardamom.

To round out the entrees, there’s an excellent rendition of saffron tahdig ($14), the craveable crispy Persian rice that’s studded with barberries with a taste reminiscent of pomegranate.

The seasonal vegetables ($14) are dictated by what’s at the farmers market. That night, it was delicata squash with a flourish of crunchy seeds.

For those who shy away from baklava because of its intense sweetness, the layered baklava ($14) here will prove a nice surprise. It’s almost more like a mille-feuille or Napoleon with its crisp, flaky pastry layers interspersed with pistachio cream, then everything crowned with a final flourish of vivid green finely chopped Turkish pistachios. Raspberry sauce is poured around it tableside. There’s no flood of sugar or honey syrup, so this baklava not only stays incredibly crisp, but tastes more of nuts than all-out sweetness.

The gata tart ($14) is served warm and tastes almost like almond custard. That’s because the custard inside the tender yeasted pastry crust is made with mahlab, a spice derived from the seeds of black cherries that has notes of roses, cherries, and yes, almonds. The tart, which has the comforting texture almost of steamed pudding, is garnished with a scoop of honey ice cream and persimmon slices.

On your way out, don’t forget to check out the restrooms that feature piped-in sounds of birds. Yes, it’s just one more way that Dalida surprises and delights.